Kenya a crucial member of UN family
What you need to know:
- The organisation helped liberate millions of people from colonialism and supported the successful struggle against apartheid.
- We have defeated deadly diseases, protected human rights, responded to humanitarian emergencies, promoted peaceful resolutions of conflicts and helped build responsive institutions of governance.
- The presence of such a large UN community – comprising about 15,000 staff members and their dependents in total – has contributed to the country’s socio-economic development.
As we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, we can proudly look back on a record of achievement.
The organisation helped liberate millions of people from colonialism and supported the successful struggle against apartheid.
We have defeated deadly diseases, protected human rights, responded to humanitarian emergencies, promoted peaceful resolutions of conflicts and helped build responsive institutions of governance.
For the past 15 years, the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have guided our development efforts, producing the most successful anti-poverty movement in history and helping to improve the lives of millions of people.
The new Sustainable Development Agenda, with 17 goals to eradicate poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change by 2030, was unanimously adopted by the General Assembly at its historic meeting two weeks ago.
CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE
All eyes are now on the Climate Change Conference to be held in Paris in December. The UN’s peace operations and peace-building efforts are also undergoing review this year.
Kenya has been a most hospitable host to the UN for several decades now.
Ever since the UN General Assembly decided in 1972 to locate the global headquarters of the UN Environment Programme (Unep) in Nairobi, the UN’s presence and activities in Kenya have never stopped growing.
Today, over 3,500 UN staff members are based in Nairobi, making the Kenyan capital the third largest UN duty station in the world, after New York and Geneva.
In 1978, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) became the second UN programme to have its global headquarters in Nairobi.
CONSIDERABLE BENEFITS
Then, in 1996, the General Assembly created the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) as a common administrative service provider to the Nairobi-based agencies, with the status of a UN Headquarters away from New York.
Kenya has played a constructive role in regional peace-making efforts.
It has been a hub for humanitarian operations in the region, a generous host of large numbers of refugees, and a critical contributor of military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping missions around the world.
The UN family in Kenya will continue to play a key role across the UN’s agenda.
Kenya for its part derives considerable benefits from its role as a major hub of UN operations.
The presence of such a large UN community – comprising about 15,000 staff members and their dependents in total – has contributed to the country’s socio-economic development.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
The many international conferences and high-level events held on the UNON compound in Gigiri – the most recent example being the Global Entrepreneurship Summit attended by Presidents Kenyatta and Obama in July – also generate employment and business opportunities for Kenya.
In its 70th year and looking ahead, the UN remains as vital, relevant and indispensable as ever.
We all have a unique opportunity to be eyewitnesses to this historic moment.
Strong UN. Better World.
